The Visa Bulletin, Explained for Humans
Once a month the State Department publishes a chart that decides who waits weeks and who waits a decade. Here’s November’s, and how to read it.
The short version: things moved forward and nothing went backward. Family categories for most of the world jumped about a year. Employment categories crept. No retrogression anywhere.
Filing inside the U.S. this month? USCIS says employment-based applicants use the Dates for Filing chart. For family-based cases, check the USCIS filing-charts page before you file.
Family: the big mover
If you were born anywhere other than China, India, Mexico or the Philippines, you’re in the “rest of world” column. That includes Pakistan. Here’s where the final action dates landed:
| Category | Who it covers | Rest of world | India | Mexico |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Adult unmarried children of citizens | Jan 22, 2021 | Jan 22, 2021 | Sep 22, 2008 |
| F2A | Spouses and kids of green-card holders | Oct 22, 2026 | Oct 22, 2026 | Apr 22, 2026 |
| F2B | Adult unmarried children of green-card holders | Aug 22, 2020 | Aug 22, 2020 | — |
| F3 | Married children of citizens | Oct 22, 2015 | Oct 22, 2015 | Jul 15, 2001 |
| F4 | Brothers and sisters of citizens | Oct 22, 2012 | Dec 15, 2006 | — |
Final action dates. A dash means we couldn’t confirm that cell from two sources. Check the official bulletin.
Read that F4 row again. A U.S. citizen’s brother born in India who filed in 2007 is still waiting. Same petition from Lahore, filed in early 2012? It’s moving now. Same law, same paperwork. The difference is the country you were born in.
Employment: small steps
| Category | Rest of world | China | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Current | Aug 1, 2023 | Feb 1, 2023 |
| EB-2 | Apr 1, 2025 | Oct 1, 2021 | Nov 1, 2013 |
| EB-3 | Jun 15, 2024 | Jan 22, 2022 | Jan 22, 2014 |
Final action dates. EB-2 rest of world moved three months. India EB-2 didn’t move at all.
And because USCIS is using the filing chart for employment cases this month, the dates that decide whether you can submit are these:
| Category | Rest of world | China | India |
|---|---|---|---|
| EB-1 | Current | Jul 1, 2024 | Jul 1, 2024 |
| EB-2 | Mar 15, 2026 | Jan 1, 2023 | Jan 15, 2015 |
| EB-3 | Aug 1, 2024 | Apr 1, 2024 | Jan 15, 2015 |
Dates for filing, employment-based. Unchanged from October.
How to read any month’s bulletin
Dates for Filing
The earliest you can hand in your paperwork. You’re in line, your file is accepted, nothing is decided yet.
Final Action Dates
When your green card can actually be approved. A perfect file can sit here for years.
Your priority date is your place in line, usually the day your petition was filed. If it’s earlier than the date listed for your category and country, you can move. If not, you wait. That’s the whole game.
Why your country matters: Congress caps how many green cards go to people born in any one country each year. That cap is why two identical applications can wait wildly different amounts of time. It’s one of the most criticized parts of the system, and reform bills to change it come up almost every Congress.
Glossary
- Priority Date
- Your place in the green-card line, usually the date your petition was filed.
- Current
- No backlog. Your category is moving without a cutoff.
- Retrogression
- When a cutoff date moves backward. The line got longer because demand beat supply.
- Rest of World
- Everyone not born in a country with its own column. Pakistan, Nigeria, Brazil and most countries fall here.
- Per-Country Cap
- The yearly limit on green cards for people born in any one country. The main reason waits are unequal.